Feathery Wings
by Deastrumquodvicis
Summary: While taking a job as a physics professor, the Doctor encounters a young Time Lord and some brain-eating aliens.
1. Chapter 1

The TARDIS was dying.  
>The Doctor closed his eyes as it finally hit him. He didn't have a replacement power source, and with Gallifrey in ruins, there was nothing he could do. His days of wandering were over. He set his destination time and place to a place he knew he would have to call home for the rest of his life: Earth. He could hardly believe it was actually happening. Perhaps on Earth he could find some shred of power he could use to do something…anything was better than settling down, hopeless.<br>"Come on, old girl, you can do it. Just a little more. Then you can rest."  
>The TARDIS grunted in reply, and there was a <em>whump<em> of landing. No more could the Doctor do to save the last piece of his home he had left. It was over. He pushed a few buttons, to put his beloved machine in stasis while he looked for hope. A tear fell onto the console. The Doctor looked up to compose himself before he stepped out the door and into 57th century Earth.

He had landed about 36 centuries short. A few people were staring at the run-down police box and the disheveled, sad man who emerged. All the people started to trickle away, some snapping pictures with their cell phones (_Typical twenty-first century humans,_ thought the Doctor) and others just walking away from the box that had appeared from thin air.

The Doctor got a job as Physics professor at the nearest college. He had a flat near the TARDIS, just so he could keep an eye on his old traveling companion. He had to grow used to not going in the TARDIS to do the daily routine. And now he realized the sort of life his companions had had to adapt to once they stopped traveling with him.  
>He had to be careful about his health-what in the world would happen if he had an accident and had to go to the hospital? "Oh, this is odd-this man has two hearts!" No, thank you, he'd had that already, and it had been the catalyst of his seventh regeneration cycle. The last Time Lord in the universe, doomed to die a quiet death on Earth. Not at all pleasant prospect for a galactic wanderer. The mundane routine of wake up, wander the city, come home, eat chips, go to bed, repeat process made him feel even more lonely. Thankfully the summer holidays were nearly over so he could start teaching.<p>

"Now, does anyone actually know anything about physics?"  
>One student, a young girl about eighteen years old, raised her hand. <em>A little young for university.<em>  
>"Yes, ah, what was your name again?"<br>"Deora. I do actually know quite a bit about physics."  
>"Care to elaborate?"<br>"We all live in one universe. There are many other universes parallel to ours, separated by a thin layer of Nothing in between. Our current universe was formed when two other universes collided for a brief instant. This event was known as the Big Bang, or so it is termed in this universe. The recent events with the Cybermen were caused when a ship guarded by a people known as the Daleks crossed through the layer of Nothing and the Cybermen followed from their alternate universe. But that's history, not physics. There are four universal forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Of these, gravity is the weakest. The strong and weak forces hold the fabric of the universe, atoms, together. Is that enough, professor Smith?"  
>The Doctor had to admit he was rather flabbergasted. He was reminded of a girl named Susan, his granddaughter, who he had traveled with in his first regeneration.<br>"That was-that was quite enough for now, miss-what was your last name, Deora?"  
>"I'd just rather you called me Deora. Professor. Sir."<br>"Alrighty then, Deora. Now tomorrow we are going to start working experiments involving the weakest of the forces, gravity. Don't need your books, only your brains."  
>Deora stayed a bit after class. "Professor," she timidly asked, blue-gray eyes looking straight into his brown ones.<br>"Hmmyes? Don't you have another class?"  
>"Sir," she said with a shy smile, "It's the last class of the day."<br>"Oh…right. Uh, I'm afraid I'm not open for tutoring, that would be Professor Hallinson."  
>"I don't need tutoring, sir. I was just wondering-"<br>"Don't touch that!" He yanked the TARDIS key out of her hands.  
>"Sorry. I was wondering if you might permit me more higher-level thinking type activities. Experiments in four dimensions or something like that."<br>"What makes you think I can supply that?"  
>"It's sort of hard to explain."<br>_Boom._  
>"What was that?"<br>"It sounded like it was coming from the teacher's lounge. To answer your question, it was an explosion. Sir."  
>"Shall we investigate?" Some sparkle was returning to his eyes at this.<br>Deora smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

People were streaming out of the lounge along with thick, dark smoke. The Doctor and Deora went the other way into the room, just as the sprinklers came on  
>"Looks like no one's hurt." Deora glanced over at the Doctor who was staring at a mangled vending machine.<br>"The vending machine exploded? That's odd…"  
>"Looks like it was intentional."<br>"Now that's interesting. Traces of Erigalium?"  
>"That's not supposed to be on Earth for another millennia!"<br>"That's what I was thinking-now how on Earth did you know that?"  
>"How do you know it?"<br>"I'm-wait a minute, just who's asking the questions?"  
>"Me. What's your home planet?"<br>"That was an odd conclusion to come to."  
>"Diagloss."<br>"What?"  
>"The nearest source of Erigalium to Earth in this time."<br>"It's my job to know it all."  
>"Sorry, Professor."<br>_Ace used to call me that…_"Doctor."  
>"What?"<br>"Call me Doctor."  
>"My sister knew a man who went by that name."<br>"What was her name?"  
>"Why would the Diaglosians be doing on Earth, killing science teachers?"<br>"Maybe," the Doctor said extremely quietly, "They're trying to kill the last Time Lord."  
>"You are an easy target right now."<br>"Hmm, good point."  
>Another explosion rocked the building.<br>"Let's get out of here!" The Doctor grabbed Deora by the hand as they ran.

They ran toward the TARDIS. He stopped outside as he remembered that it was in stasis, and if they broke that stasis, it would lose the last shred of its life after about ten minutes.  
>"What's wrong?"<br>"We can't go in."  
>Deora groaned slightly, grabbed the Doctor by his wrist and dragged him away from his beloved TARDIS. They ran as far and fast as they could until they reached a shambled, blown-out building that was really just a door and two shattered brick walls left.<br>"Before we go in, Doctor, there are two things I have to tell you."  
>"What?" He was startled.<br>She lifted his right hand and placed it on the left side of her chest.  
>"Feel my heart?"<br>"Hard not to, we've been running so much."  
>She moved his hand to the right side of her chest.<br>"Now?"  
>His eyes widened as he pulled his hand away, hope beginning to return to him once more. "You're a Time Lord!" His grin was contagious.<br>"The second thing I have to tell you is my sister's name. Romanadvoratrelundar."  
>"I didn't know Romana had a sister! Oh, this is-YES! What's wrong? Oh, yes, I left her in e-space. Oh. Sorry about that. I didn't know. I really, really didn't know. I'm so, so, so, so sorry. But there's something else, isn't there?"<br>"I'll tell you inside."  
>She opened the door and walked inside.<p>

"A TARDIS! This just gets better and better!"  
>"I have no guidance system. And the Chameleon circuit's broken."<br>"I noticed the door looked a little odd."  
>"Paris, 1963, according to the diagnostic chart."<br>"Well, how 'bout that. Mine got stuck in '63 too."  
>Deora sat down sadly.<br>"I thought I was the only one left."  
>"What happened?"<br>"I was in the science hall on Gallifrey doing some homework and I heard an explosion. I, being one of the most curious youngsters in a long time, had run outside to see the Dalek ship explode the compound I had just been in. My curiosity saved my life. I ran inside to the TARDIS room and went into one. I tried setting it for a safe place outside the Time War, but…I ended up here. I've had to duck athletics class because I was afraid the physicals would show my two hearts. Luckily my science grades made up for it. So I've been living here in London for the last ten years, unable to go anywhere in this rust-bucket without having to worry about the blasted thing tearing apart on the way. The one good thing that's come of this is that I've gotten to love the music."  
>"Oh, what do you like the most?"<br>"It's a singer named Voltaire. I only have a few of his songs, but the way he puts the words and music-you know, why don't I show you?" She went over to a stereo system and put a song on.  
>"It's sad."<br>"My life is sad. There's a verse that is really rather appropriate for my-well, really it's become our predicament. Wait for it. I'll tell you when."

_A long, long time ago__  
><em>_I fell to this place from another dimension__  
><em>_And thrust among the beasts__  
><em>_And the way they behave__  
><em>_Borders on dementia__  
><em>_And after all these years__  
><em>_I can barely take it__  
><em>_I don't think I can make it__  
><em>_Take me away from here__  
><em>_I want to go home__  
><em>_I'm so sick and tired of__  
><em>_The taste of tears__  
><em>_The sting of pain__  
><em>_The smell of fear__  
><em>_The sounds of crying_

"That's it. That's the verse. The song is called _Feathery Wings._" Tears were coming to her eyes.  
>"Shhh…it's going to be okay."<br>"Romana is safe. To me, she just vanished. No one knew where she was. Now I do. It puts some relief on me."  
>"Ooh!" shouted the Doctor after a few minutes, wherein he comforted her. "We can fix the TARDIS!"<br>"Mine or yours?"  
>"Well…either."<br>"Let's fix yours."  
>"All we have to do is get the power source out of this one, and into me and BLAZAM! Off I go!"<br>"You're having pronoun issues. Kindly fix."  
>"What?"<br>"You said 'I'. It should have been 'we'."  
>The Doctor smiled that grin of his.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

They stepped out of her TARDIS to a horrific sight. Ten foot tall orange creatures with eight arms (each with seven fingers) and compound eyes were surrounding a heaping pile of people. Dead people with the top of their skulls cut off and no brain in their heads.  
>"Well," said the Doctor, "That's new."<br>"Those…aren't Diaglosians."  
>"Logasmalites, I should think."<br>"But Logasmal is more than a thousand light-years away!"  
>"I know."<br>"I think they've seen us. We should make use of our legs and superior cardiovascular system."  
>"Something like that. RUN!"<br>And they ran from the brain-eaters to the least populated part of the city.

They stopped for a breather two miles away.  
>"I…think…we lost them."<br>"Doctor? Turn around."  
>"Oh, hello! Can we help you?"<br>The green Diaglosian pointed his clawed finger to the Doctor and hissed. "Logasmal…scumfilthverminplague! Iweourme destroyobliviatedecimate!"  
>"Pronoun issues," muttered Deora.<br>"Do you mind taking this somewhere else? The people of this planet haven't got their feet on the proverbial ground yet! They're not ready to be the center of a galactic war between your peoples!"  
>"Uh…Doctor?" And then she vanished.<br>"Oh, now that's just great. Give me back my companion NOW!"  
>"Iweourme does not haveholdcapture youryou !"<br>"Child? That's new."

Aboard the Logasmalite ship, Deora awoke. She was hanging upside-down from the ceiling as her short black hair went straight down. She turned her head to her right and saw her reflection in the window.  
>"Interesting hairdo. I'll have to try it some time. It would look better blonde, though. Maybe next regeneration. Ooh, why are we on a polar orbit?"<br>A chillingly deep voice reverberated through the chilly cabin. "Shall we put on some music?" _Feathery Wings_ began to play in the empty room.  
>"Now that's not fair. How about listening to <em>Brains<em>? That would be more appropriate, I think." And the song changed accordingly.  
>"Appropriate indeed. How are you feeling?"<br>"Well, a little cold, and my feet have almost completely lost circulation. Meanwhile I have the headache of the century from all the blood rushing to my head. Other than that, though, I'm quite bored. Listening to music as the sole activity is never my preference. I need something else to do."  
>"Mathematics? 592 times 234 and square the answer."<br>"Oh, how droll, though it is a rather original method of prisoner entertainment. 19,190,006,784. An interesting number with all the ones and nines and zeros. But I still prefer the decimal equivalent of one eleventh. That's 0.0909090909, and on to infinity, you know. One ninth is a great number, too. After the decimal it keeps repeating the number one until you pass out from oxygen deprivation. Curious relationship between the decimal of one ninth and one eleventh."  
>"ENOUGH! I can see your brain is going to be a feast indeed."<br>"Aw, come on, I thought mathematics was a rather dry subject. I never liked dry meat. That's what wasabi or ranch dressing were for."  
>"I said enough!"<br>"Fine."

"What do you mean you don't have her? Where is she?"  
>"Theyothers haveholdcapture hershe."<br>"Oh, well that helps a big fat lot. Where is their ship, for crying out loud?"  
>The Diaglosian pointed. He pointed straight south.<br>"How far?" He had no transportation.  
>"Allcompletefully."<br>"Antarctica? That's just great, just splendid, just FANTASTIC!" He was furious. He had no way to get to aforementioned frozen continent, and he didn't have the money (let alone the time) to rent a cab. If he took her TARDIS, he would be completely unsure of where he was going to end up. If he took his…well, better to not think about it. He kicked a rubbish bin.


	4. Chapter 4

"The brain is a lovely organ. No pain receptors. And humans only use ten percent, which leaves plenty for us."  
>"I prefer the heart. So many wonderful things come from the heart."<br>"It is too easily broken."  
>"Joy, hope, determination, all these things come from deep inside our souls, and if the brain is gone, so is the heart. Have you no thought of what these people might turn into if you wipe them out? In three centuries, your people could be wiped out by a plague that only the humans have a way to solve! You're signing your own death warrant!"<br>"You are in no position to beg for your people."  
>"It's too late for that, anyway," said Deora solemnly. "They're long gone. But the humans! They're just beginning to flourish! You have no idea what you're doing when you do this!"<br>"We eat. The brain provides sustenance for our people."  
>"Is it the actual gray matter, or what is held inside?"<br>"Both."  
>"Take mine and leave these people alone."<br>"What makes you feel you can make up for the whole planet?"  
>"I'm a Time Lord," she said simply and softly. "The last Time Lord."<p>

The Doctor turned to the Diaglosian captain.  
>"Why don't I use your ship?"<br>"Iweourme shipvehicletransport?"  
>"Yes, your ship-vehicle-transport-thing! I've got to save her! Come on!"<br>They boarded the Diaglosian ship, and the Doctor automatically headed for the control room. He felt heavier than he had on Earth, and it was no wonder: Diagloss had a mass one and a quarter the size of Earth, and subsequently the gravity was proportional.  
>"Set scanners to full range! We're looking for Logasmalite ships."<br>"Whowhatwhy is thisthat manhumanmale?"  
>"Friendhelperally."<br>"Oh, there she is," said the Doctor with a hint of cold malice in his voice. "There's the ship that stole my last hope. I'm going aboard."

The Logasmalite laughed, and it sounded like a thousand worlds exploding as heard from underwater.  
>"You're a Time Lord?" The laugh again. "A Time Lord? The last Time Lord? I had heard that one survived the war, but you? You're a child!"<br>"A two hundred year old child. I have all the knowledge of the Time Lords stored in my head-I'm a walking library of Gallifrey. But I will fight back if you do not keep your promise. I have friends who will avenge the Massacre of Earth. They'll kill you. They'll hunt you down to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and the universe, and they will not stop until every one of your people is gone. And it will not be a simple death, either. They'll make it so painful you wish you had never heard the word Earth. Oh, yes, the Daleks know about that revenge. They were on the wrong end of his anger. Kill me if you like. But know that it seals your fate."  
>"First you offer nothing but trouble. Then you offer your brain, and now you threaten us? Are you quite decided? I am. The human race will become our feeding ground, and you are our appetizer."<br>Deora swung around in anger, breaking the bonds holding her. As she fell to the ground, she managed to wheel herself into position to kick the captain in the place it hurts most, jabbing the heel of her boots hard into him. And from there, it looked like some martial arts movie gone sci-fi, her black clothing acting like a cloak around her. The Timeshadow fighting the brain-eater. She grabbed a pipe from the wall and used it to fight the creature. She knocked him unconscious, but he was badly hurt. His fire-orange blood was all over her clothes and face, and it was matted in her hair.  
>"And he won't be the only one to fight you," she said as she dropped the pole. She ran to the nearest console, pulled out her homemade sonic screwdriver (smaller than the Doctor's, but no less effective), and jammed it into the computer system. Instantly, <em>Thoughtless<em> by Evanescence began to play, its loud guitars and harsh lyrics filling the com system of the ship. She turned to intership communications and turned it on.  
>"This is Deora of Gallifrey to any nearby ships," she declared. "If any of the Logasmalite people set foot on Earth ever again, you will feel the fury of all the lost Time Lords, channeled through me. Do not attack these people ever again or you will not live to tell your grandchildren about the anger that one Time Lord can possess. Leave this solar system now and never return. Understand this well. If you violate this, you will regret it."<br>She waited for a few precious seconds, then turned the sonic screwdriver and pulled it free. _("I will not be won by your thoughtless scheming…")_ A timer displayed on the monitor, and she stood up, briefly bathing herself in the music.  
>"That should do it," she said, and took off for the nearest escape pod.<p>

The Doctor had not seen the transmission. He was busy complaining to the Diaglosian captain about their lack of small rescue craft.  
>"What do you mean, you don't have a shuttlecraft? How do you get to the planet?"<br>"Transmat."  
>"But they have a shield blocking transmat beams!"<br>"Yesaffirmativecorrect."  
>"Well how am I supposed to save her?" He was yelling at the top of his lungs.<br>"Unknownclueless."  
>The Doctor proceeded to kick things after that. She was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. He'd lost her. There was nothing he could do.<br>And then the Logasmalite ship exploded.


	5. Chapter 5

Several minutes later, a voice broke through the Doctor's shock.  
>"Um, guys? I kind of need a little help. Escape pods only have so much oxygen, and Earth's gravity has decided it likes me."<br>"That was…Deora! Bring her in somehow! What in the world is she listening to?"  
>It was a song called <em>I Always Get What I Want<em>.

They pulled her aboard the ship, the Doctor still a little surprised by her escape.  
>"You…didn't need saving…?"<br>"Ah, that's okay. I did manage to survive the Time Wars. And grade school. Sorry if I made you feel not needed."  
>"Ah, um, no, it was quite a pleasant change…for once I didn't have to do any rescuing. Feels kind of odd, really. Like new teeth."<br>"Now, where were we before this all started? Ah, yes, physics."

It was difficult to drag the power source of Deora's TARDIS to the Doctor's TARDIS, as it was several miles, but they managed to do it. It was a brand new power source, so it still had about a thousand years left in it.  
>"Well, Doctor, now that you've gotten your TARDIS fixed, will you be on your way?"<br>The Doctor looked around the newly powered TARDIS. It looked like nothing had ever happened to it. He felt as though he was home. His own little piece of Gallifrey. It was his ever-constant companion, the only thing that had stayed with him throughout all his journeys. He turned to Deora and asked simply:  
>"Are you having pronoun issues again?"<br>Deora smiled. "Where to next?"  
>"Oh, I don't know, how about you pick?"<br>"I've always wanted to see 96th century Mars in the moonslight. However," she added, "I think a trip to Barcelona might be fun. The planet, not the city."  
>The Doctor turned the crank, pulled some levers, gave the TARDIS a friendly whack and off they went into time.<p> 


End file.
